Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Pina

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Posted by Mark Lensenmayer (Member # 134) on 02-22-2012, 04:37 PM:

This is one weird artsy modern dance movie. It is also one of the best 3-D movies I've ever seen.

Pina Bausch was a German choreographer/stage director. She died suddenly in 2009, 5 days after being diagnosed with cancer. Her company still performs today. The dancers are of all ages, not just young and athletic. The dance is also VERY physical...I'm sure there are MANY bumps and bruises when these dancers are finished.

I especially liked the grand procession, to Louis Armstrong's WEST END BLUES. Very stately and yet full of the joy of movement.

No story here, not even a biographical one. Just dance...strange, weird, hypnotic dance.

Wim Wenders use of 3-D here is exceptional. For much of the movie, the audience is thrust on to the stage with the dancers. Other scenes are in natural settings or in odd buildings or industrial locations. No 3-D tricks here, but a great sense of depth.

This is a real test for a sound system. Music ranges from orchestral to Louis Armstrong to solo voice. To play this movie properly you need a system with a strong dynamic range.

Not a movie for everyone, but worth checking out if you are in the mood to see something different from the mainstream. And this one is WAY out of the mainstream.

Mark & wife Kathleen both give this one a surprising A+.

Posted by Mark Ogden (Member # 43) on 02-22-2012, 06:31 PM:

It's funny, the only two movies I saw last year where I thought to myself "this HAS to be seen in 3D" were documentaries, Cave of Forgotten Dreams and this one. Everything else I could have just as easily lived with flat.

This is a very good movie, especially if you are into dance/choreography. I didn't know what to expect going in, but it sure blew me away. I have to say one thing about the late Ms. Bausch: she certainly had issues, as my lady friends like to say.